“How long has it been since these hallowed halls have received the attention they need? Received the attention the patients deserve?”
Have you ever dived beneath the water, glancing up at the sun, shimmering through the surface? Feel the weight as you swim up. Back to the surface? It’d be easier if someone were there to help guide you up, wouldn’t it? Hell, it’d be easier if you had some flotation devices to guide you up. That’s how many patients feel when they’re in an institution. They feel drowned, trapped, like there’s no air for them beneath or above water. Having people there, and having the resources that are needed are what help guide these patients into a better state. It’s also what the workers need. Outdated equipment and a lack of funding ruin the treatment options for workers. It limits what they can do because while they know how to get around some of the issues, that shouldn’t be what’s happening. To effectively address the growing mental/medical health crisis, we must change our funding, perspectives, and attitudes toward mental health clinics, hospitals, and services to ensure equal access and effective support to those in need.
Be prepared for this heartbreaking news. Hospitals unfit to be opened, continue service to the public out of necessity. The United Kingdom reopened Lynfield Mount Hospital in Bradford Yorkshire even though the sewers swell and flood the hospital’s floors. Why would a government allow it? It’s simple, they just don’t give the funding needed to open it properly and to fix the damages that keep reoccurring. Needless to say, United Kingdom citizens did not like this and rallied for their funding to be approved. It shouldn’t have to come to this though. Human empathy and compassion shouldn’t need to be fought for, tooth and nail. It’s not just the United Kingdom either, many people over here in the States experience underfunding. This experience of poor care by our governments and institutions should not be unifying us worldwide. The demand for better care while a powerful fight, shouldn’t need to be fought for so hard.
In the United States of America, the instability of support forces terrible decisions on children and parents alike. Lisa Norris was forced to make a terrible decision. She was unable to support the hospital bills for her child, after her insurance wouldn’t provide the coverage needed for her, she had to do something unthinkable. Surrender her rights as a parent, over to the government. The state, having custody, would provide the medical treatment necessary. How absolutely cruel. As a parent, she made the toughest decision out there, protecting her child at the cost of losing her. This is horrible to hear about, and I do mean to hear it. Listening to Lisa tell her struggle makes you empathize with her. And why wouldn’t you, this could happen to you or someone you know. This is a very real scenario.
If this affects a family this much, surely individuals must be better off, right? Well, not exactly. “More than one-fifth of United States adults experienced mental illness in 2020 (nearly 53 million people) And 5.6% of United States adults had serious mental illness in 2020 (more than 14 million people)" (Cohen, 2022) While it doesn’t seem like a lot of people at first, this is reported amounts. With a stigma around mental health, many individuals go untreated, trying to resolve their problems on their own. Many of them keep a defeated attitude, believing that because the system doesn’t care, they shouldn’t either. Which is absolutely heartbreaking. We are all people and to know so many like us suffer because they believe others don't care is devastating. I’d like to believe that if you’re reading this article you do care, because I, most certainly care.
“So it’s not just overseas countries that don’t care, but it’s ours as well? Does the government just not care for its citizens? How are we supposed to fix this? Is there anything, anyone without a position of power can do? Are we forced to accept these terrible conditions?” All of these questions kept surfacing in my head after reading and listening to these articles. Countless research only ends with a feeling of despair. One of the worst aspects is, that not everyone knows what's happening to truly care. Or, even worse, people know what’s happening and don’t care because it won't affect them.
So, is there anything that you and I can do? There is, we can vote. Many people only participate in voting when it pertains to the presidency but there are other aspects of voting such as your state government. The Federal and State play large roles in the funding of mental health clinics and hospitals. While there are private ones, these are meant for the everyday person like you and me, resources we should have access to without worry. They are advocating for changes, electing those with our best interests. Active participation within your community will always be essential. Asking for help from advocates is okay too. Social workers fight every day to make sure people get the necessary changes to help their lives. Even beyond the individual, social workers change micro, mezzo, and macro policies to ensure a better future for not just themselves, but for those around them.
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